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New and improved system to combat illegal wildlife trade unveiled

Sunday, June 3, 2007

The Hague, Netherlands

The United Nations University, with the support of IFAW (International Fund for
Animal Welfare - www.ifaw.org), unveiled a
new and innovative system designed to combat wildlife crime. The Wildlife
Enforcement Monitoring System (WEMS) system, having successfully completed its
pilot phase this month, seeks to complement and enhance the capacities of
Interpol’s information-sharing database, Ecomessage.

WEMS works by collecting, compiling, analyzing and disseminating on a global
scale the information it collects on wildlife crime. In contrast to the
Interpol system, which acts as a central database for official information
submitted by national enforcement authorities, the WEMS system relies on
information provided by private organizations. Additionally, while
Interpol’s information is shared exclusively with national enforcement
officials, WEMS works to elevate public awareness by disseminating selected
information it collects to the public-at-large. Most significantly,
however, WEMS quantifies the illegal wildlife trade, something that has never
been done before.

“This project is going to answer the current
problems in information collection, dissemination and analysis, says Remi
Chandran, Research Associate, Office of the Rector, UNU. It will make the
work of enforcement officers and policymakers easier by facilitating the
coordination of the various national arms of law enforcement with national
CITES agencies. Quantifying levels of wildlife crime has never before been
possible, to date.

Says Peter Younger, Criminal Intelligence
Officer with the Wildlife Crime working group at Interpol, “The WEMS project
highlight’s the invaluable role of enforcement in combating wildlife crime, and
offers us a promising model for consideration as we look for solutions to fight
illegal wildlife crime.”

Officials representing WEMS assert that
the system will simplify the process of reporting, create a new level of
transparency, enhance the exchange of communication across cultures and
languages, and empower civil society in its efforts to combating transboundary
wildlife crimes.

“We are encouraged by this very important project
to monitor the illegal trade in wildlife and look forward to WEMS’ support to
the relevant organizations such as ICPO Interpol in their joint efforts to
investigate the offenders,” says Yuki Sakamoto, Chair of Asian Conservation
Alliance, one of the supporters of the pilot phase of the project.

The unveiling of WEMS comes at a particularly critical time, as
enforcement matters are central to the deliberations at this year’s CITES
CoP.